No resource crunch for Kashmir: Pranab Mukherjee

The government will not hold back on resources to support the development of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), finance minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee told Hindustan Times. Gautam Chikermane and Gaurav Choudhury report.

The government will not hold back on resources to support the development of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), finance minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee told Hindustan Times.

He said this in the context of the recent violence in the Valley and the visit of the all-party delegation. He also said the government will formulate the next step of its Kashmir strategy in an all-new political economy package.

“After obtaining the assessment report from (Home Minister) P. Chidambaram, the leader of the all-party delegation to J&K, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will formulate its views,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

Asked by when this package will be ready, he said: “Shortly.”

“We have given the Prime Minister’s economic package. We can improve on it. We can provide more jobs. We can provide more amenities,” he said.

“As finance minister of the country I can say there would be no dearth of resources to support the developmental plans and expenditure of J&K.”

But the crunch in Kashmir goes beyond the economy.

“We cannot take an extreme view,” the Congress party troubleshooter said. “Some people talk of azadi. Some people talk of autonomy, self-rule. Different versions of azadi are getting reflected.”

On Ayodhya, Mukherjee echoed the wider plea for calm. “Whatever be the judgment, the aggrieved party can make an appeal to the Supreme Court,” Mukherjee said. “Judicial process is taking its own course of action.”